Rankine Cycles, Organic Rankine Cycles (ORC), and Refrigeration/Heat Pump Cycles are well known, and many systems of various designs have been developed over the years to operate in accordance with such cycles. For convenience of further reference, such cycles will often hereinafter be referred to generically as energy cycles. Principles of operation of such energy cycles have been addressed in detail in numerous prior publications, and operations of various systems in accordance with such energy cycles are also explained in numerous prior art publications. For convenience of further reference, such systems or constructions are often hereinafter referred to as energy cycle constructions.
Although such energy cycle constructions may take many forms, it has been found advantageous in many instances to employ multiple rotating components as components of such energy cycle constructions to effect the desired energy cycles while realizing advantages attendant to the use of such rotating components. Such rotating components may include not only rotary equipment such as generators and motors, but also other rotary devices such as expanders, pumps, and compressors, as well as scroll type devices that include both compressor and expander functions such as are disclosed in U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/574,771, filed Aug. 9, 2011. For convenience of further reference, such other rotary devices and the like are often hereinafter referred to generically as working fluid treatment devices, and reference to energy cycle devices is intended to encompass motors and generators and like equipment in addition to working fluid treatment devices, especially as they may be utilized in energy cycle constructions.
Many energy cycle constructions are thus configured to operate as or in accordance with a Rankine Cycle, an Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC), and/or a Refrigeration/Heat Pump Cycle, and to employ one or more, and often two, rotary working fluid treatment devices, often of a scroll type design, as part of their systems. Generally, many such rotary based energy cycle constructions share a common set up in that they include two rotary working fluid treatment devices as well as an evaporator and condenser, and a motor or generator. Typically, such energy cycle constructions are constructed with the individual components thereof interconnected to form the completed system, but with each of such individual components existing as a separate independent component in a closed loop connected via piping. Due to the independence and separateness of such components, such completed or assembled energy cycle constructions have necessarily been of larger size. Also, traditionally the main components of the ORC such as the expander or “turbine”, the pump, the condenser, the evaporator, and the generator are arranged separately on a skid or in an enclosing box. These components are connected by piping and power transmitting couplings. The pump will have a separate drive motor and controls. The interconnecting piping must be soldered or brazed which has problems with contamination and is costly and labor intensive.
For many reasons, it would generally be desirable if the sizes, and cost of such energy cycle constructions could be decreased or minimized, and the reliability improved. To this point in time, however, that desire has remained largely unsatisfied.